CityHarvest Business Model
Vera AgriTech's Urban Screen House & Hydroponics Enterprise Model for Nigeria. Building a network of low-cost urban screen houses and hydroponic systems that empower individuals and communities to produce high-value vegetables, create jobs, and strengthen food security in our cities.
Addressing 4 Major Challenges in Nigeria
Our model directly counters the structural vulnerabilities of traditional farming and urban food supply.
Youth Unemployment
Providing direct employment and profitable farm ownership opportunities to tackle rising unemployment and underemployment among youth and graduates.
Food Insecurity
Combating high food price inflation by delivering fresh, high-value vegetables grown locally in urban centers year-round.
Rural Farm Insecurity
Reducing supply chain reliance on remote rural regions affected by crop devastation, transport logistics, and farmer-herder conflicts.
Limited Financing
Lowering capital barriers by offering micro-financing and structured payment options to make commercial-grade technology accessible.
The Four-Pillar System
We operate an integrated model, overseeing everything from structural supply to market aggregated offtake.
Screen House Provision
- Low-cost screen houses
- Drip irrigation & fertigation units
- Hydroponic NFT/gutter systems
- Water storage tanks & plumbing
- On-site engineering & setup
Target Locations
Training & Capacity
- Level 1 (Foundation): Crop nutrition, basic agronomy, irrigation.
- Level 2 (Advanced): Hydroponic maintenance, pest control.
- Level 3 (Business): Bookkeeping, agribusiness management.
Delivery Channels
Input Supply Chain
- High-yield seeds & seedlings
- Pre-mixed nutrient solutions
- Premium coco peat growing media
- Specialized organic fertilizers
- Bio-protection pesticides
Guaranteed Standard
Continuous supply of top-grade inputs to ensure consistent, premium vegetable size and quality.
Market Access
- Aggregated crop sorting & packhouse
- Logistics & delivery dispatch
- Direct sales to regional chains
- Standardized quality grading
- Guaranteed minimum crop prices
Offtake Partners
Screen House Packages
Tailored setup options matching various scales, land availability, and farmer experience.
Package A: Starter Farmer
100 m² AreaBest for: Youths, graduates, retirees, and residential backyards.
Includes: Steel frame screen house, complete drip kit, water tank, basic training, and seed starter kit.
Package B: Growth Farmer
250 m² AreaBest for: Smallholder cooperatives, commercial urban plots.
Includes: Screen house, nutrient dosing rigs, coco peat bag channels, drip systems, and advanced training certificates.
Package C: Commercial
500 m² AreaBest for: Agribusiness developers, larger community groups.
Includes: Multi-span screen house, complete automated fertigation system, full NFT setup, and dedicated agricultural advisory support.
Pay-As-You-Grow Model
We structure repayments based on your harvests to make modern farming financially feasible.
Affordable Down Payment
Farmers only contribute a 10% to 20% initial capital deposit (e.g. ₦200,000 for a ₦2.0M starter system) to begin installation.
Production-Linked Split
Loan repayments are directly tied to crop sales. Post-harvest sales are allocated: 60% paid to the farmer, 30% to loan repayment, and 10% saved for maintenance.
Urban Farm Purchase Agreement
We bind the infrastructure lease with a guaranteed produce buy-back contract. Offtake returns are settled directly, minimizing default risks.
Triple Security Layer
Produce Offtake Control
All harvested crops are aggregate-marketed through Vera AgriTech, allowing auto-deduction of repayments at source.
Equipment Ownership
The company retains structural title and equipment ownership of the greenhouse installations until the loan is fully repaid.
Cooperative Peer Guarantees
Farmers operate in clustered cells (e.g. 50 farmers per cooperative group) who co-guarantee member loans, ensuring peer support and monitoring.
Scale-Up Strategy Timeline
Our roadmap targeting commercial urban farming expansion across Nigeria over the next decade.
Phase 1: Pilot Phase
Years 1 - 2
Establishing initial operations in Pilot Cities: Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. Target deployment: 500 farm systems.
Phase 2: Regional Rollout
Years 3 - 5
Expansion to secondary cities: Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, and Benin City. Target deployment: 5,000 farm systems.
Phase 3: National Scale
Years 5 - 10
Nationwide expansion covering all major Nigerian cities and metropolitan zones. Target deployment: 50,000 farm systems.
Affordable. Profitable. Scalable.
Together, we can build greener cities, generate stable urban jobs, and build a food-secure Nigeria.